WITH a 100% winning record, 87 goals scored and just 12 conceded in 23 matches, Farnham Town are in formidable form this season.
It sets up a daunting prospect for Jersey Bulls, who travel to the club tonight [kick-off 7.45pm], but everyone bar the Farnham fans will be hoping they will be the ones to give their hosts their first ‘L’ in the league this season [subject to a pitch inspection at 10am].
If they don’t, then Farnham could well be on course to smash football records and become the first team to win every one of their matches in a league in the football pyramid (though Bulls were also on course to do the same in their inaugural 2019-20 season in Division One of the Combined Counties Football League before the season was cut abruptly short due to the Covid-19 pandemic).
This season, Farnham Town has built a team to match their salubrious Surrey surroundings, bringing players in on high wages from higher divisions. The gamble has clearly paid off, with promotion from the CCFL Premier Division South to the Isthmian League a foregone conclusion.
Bulls, though, have never let go of their own ambition to climb up the leagues and are looking to secure one of the four play-off places on offer. Their chances of doing so were given a huge boost when they beat rivals Knaphill 2-0 in their opponent’s backyard. But Bulls failed to back that up, drawing their last two games 1-1 against Fleet Town and Camberley Town. They remain well-placed still, third in the table, but can ill-afford many more slip-ups with Knaphill just ahead and the likes of Redhill, Croydon Athletic and Tadley Calleva breathing down their necks. A result at Farnham will be the perfect tonic but the difficult task has been made all the more strenuous with key players missing, particularly in defence with captain James Querée, Luke Campbell, Jay Giles, Euan Van Der Vliet and Kamen Nafkha – who have played a combined 747 games for Bulls – all absent, along with Will Byers, Frank Tobin and James Carr. Sammy Sutcliffe does return after a long injury lay-off, while St Clement full-back JJ Lloyd has been called up. It is likely Sutcliffe will partner Harry Curtis at centre back, who has been impressive this season, even if the personnel around him has been ever-changing of late.
“It’s quite challenging sometimes when there’s four or five changes every game. It’s hard to get in a bit of rhythm,” admitted Curtis, not that he feels it is an excuse for the last two results.
“We need to get back to the basics of battling and showing hunger. There should be no excuse to put in all you’ve got and then the football will come.
“As lads, we just need to realise there’s no easy games in this league, not get ahead ourselves, realise where we’re at, that we’re not better than we actually are. The league doesn’t lie.”
Jersey Bulls: Pierce Roche, JJ Lloyd, Fergus Boyle, Harry Curtis, Sammy Sutcliffe, Ben Le Rougetel, Joe Kilshaw, Adam Trotter, Luke Watson, Jonny Le Quesne, Ruben Mendes, Francis Lekimamati, Miguel Carvalho, Fraser Barlow, Lorne Bickley
